From an acclaimed historian, the full and authoritative story of one
of the most iconic disasters in American history, told through the vivid
memories of those who experienced it
Between October 8-10, 1871, much of the city of Chicago was destroyed by
one of the most legendary urban fires in history. Incorporated as a city
in 1837, Chicago had grown at a breathtaking pace in barely three
decades, from just over 4,000 in 1840 to greater than 330,000 at the
time of the fire. Built hastily, the city was largely made of wood. Once
it began in the barn of Catherine and Patrick O'Leary, the Fire quickly
grew out of control, twice jumping branches of the Chicago River on its
relentless northeastward path through the city's three divisions. Close
to one of every three Chicago residents was left homeless and more were
instantly unemployed, though the death toll was miraculously low.
Remarkably, no carefully researched popular history of the Great Chicago
Fire has been written until now, despite it being one of the most
cataclysmic disasters in US history. Building the story around memorable
characters, both known to history and unknown, including the likes of
General Philip Sheridan and Robert Todd Lincoln, eminent Chicago
historian Carl Smith chronicles the city's rapid growth and place in
America's post-Civil War expansion. The dramatic story of the
fire--revealing human nature in all its guises--became one of equally
remarkable renewal, as Chicago quickly rose back up from the ashes
thanks to local determination and the world's generosity and faith in
Chicago's future.
As we approach the fire's 150th anniversary, Carl Smith's compelling
narrative at last gives this epic event its full and proper place in our
national chronicle.
